In 1978, 40 families led by Ron Nachman and with the approval of the Israeli government took up residence on a barren hilltop in the West Bank. The outpost was granted development-town status. The residents chose the name Ariel, a Biblical reference to Jerusalem and the Temple Mount (Isaiah 29:1). Prime Minister Ariel Sharon visited the city in July 2005, at which time he stated: "I reiterate and clarify that this bloc is one of the most important and will be part of the State of Israel forever. There is no other thought or objective. . . . This bloc will always be an inseparable part of the State of Israel and be territorially contiguous with the State of Israel like the other blocs." Prime Minister Ehud Olmert added Ariel as one of the settlement blocs to be included as part of his proposed "convergence" for the West Bank.
Historical Dictionary of Israel. Bernard Reich David H. Goldberg. Edited by Jon Woronoff..